Sewing machine



'Feb. 4, 1969 E. H. SCHARMER, JR 3 SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug; 5, 1965Sheet 5 of 6 INVENTOR. v fDWARD MJcmRMsRJR.

Feb. 4, 1969 E. H. SCHARMER, JR

SEWING MACHINE Filed Au 5, 1965 Sheet INVENTOR. fDWARD/IJZHARMERJR.

Feb. 4, 1969 E- H. SCHARMER, JR L 3,

SEWING MACHINE Sheet .Filed Aug. 5, 1965 R mm Wm mm n m M F.

SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1965 Sheet United States Patent Oflice 5Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sewing machine continuously drivingand moving the material to be sewn and having a cooperating needle andlooper producing the chain stitching; the needle being reciprocated intoand out of the fabric, and being moved rectilinearly along with thefabric while inserted into the fabric; the looper coacting with theneedle and producing stitching and moving with a rocking motion alongand opposite to the direction of material travel and a slid- H ingmotion transversely of the direction of travel and to opposite sides ofthe needle during the stitching.

This invention is concerned with production apparatus and moreparticularly with a sewing machine for sewing continuously movingmaterials.

It is often desirable to incorporate sewing apparatus into on-line orassembly line production techniques. When this is done, problems arisewhen the assembly line is run as a continuous belt or constant motionchain type line. Prior art sewing machines are generally of the typethat do not sew continuously moving materials, but are designed tofunction with a stop-start or jerky motion of the materials. This isgenerally necessary in prior art sewing machines to prevent damage tothe materials being sewn. That is, if the material moves while theneedle is piercing it, the material will be damaged by pulling againstthe needle. Therefore, the machines stop the material while the needleis piercing it, and advance the material when the needle has beenwithdrawn.

An attempt to use these prior art sewing machines in continuous motionassembly line techniques has resulted in numerous breakdowns and otherundesirable effects in the production line. The constant stop-start ofthe material by the sewing machine creates numerous disabling frictionsand pressures in the continuous belt or chain which is feeding thematerial to the machine or removing it from the machine.

Some manufacturers have attempted to overcome this problem by providinga slanting trajectory to the sewing needle, or a zigzag motion to thesewing needle. While these improvements on the vertical trajectorysewing needle have somewhat alleviated the problem of damage to thematerial, they have not overcome the above mentioned problems in regardto continuously moving materials.

The apparatus of this invention overcomes the above mentioned problem byproviding a rectilinear trajectory for the sewing needle. The needlemoves in a rectilinear path which is both substantially perpendicular tothe continuously moving materials and parallel to the direction ofmovement of the continuously moving materials.

In the sewing machine of this invention the sewing needle is oscillatedvertically up and down in its stitching function. At the same time, theneedle is translated in a horizontal back and forth motion to preventdamage to the moving materials. That is, as the sewing needle is in itsdownward stroke, to pierce the materials, the needle is at the same timetranslated in the direction of the materials so that the needle piercingthe materials rides with it to prevent tearing or stretching of thestitch hole. The

3,425,377 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 horizontal motion continues in thedirection of the moving materials during the withdrawal of the needle,and when the needle has been withdrawn the horizontal motion is reversedand the needle carried back to prepare for the next stitch stroke.

Briefly described, the sewing machine of this invention comprises aframe having mounted toward its forward end a pair of parallel,horizontally disposed guide rods. A first plate is slidably mounted onthe rods for a horizontal back and forth motion. A set of slide bearingsor journaling bearings are rigidly connected to the first plate forvertically carrying a needle bar which is to slide up and down in thebearings. An aperture is cut out of the first plate and a second pair ofparallel guide rods are vertically disposed within the aperture. Asecond plate is slidably connected to the guide rods for vertical up anddown sliding. The second plate is in substance a cam follower as itengages a cam which will impart motion to the first and second plates.The cam 'is in turn connected to a horizontally disposed shaft which isrotated by drive means mounted on the sewing machine frame. The needlebar, which carries the sewing needle at its lower end, is pivotallylinked to the cam.

As the cam turns, it performs two functions. First, through the linkageto the needle bar it translates the needle bar in an up and downstitching motion. Second, it imparts cam force on the second plate.Since the second plate is restricted to vertical motion on the secondpair of guide rods, the component of the cam force which cannot be takenup by sliding of the second plate is trans mitted to the first plate toimpart a horizontal back and forth motion to the first plate. As thefirst plate slides on the first set of guide rods, it translates theneedle bar back and forth. The back and forth motion and the verticalmotion of the needle bar are synchronized to providethe above describedrectilinear movement with respect to each sewing stroke.

Also included in the sewing machine of this invention is a loopermechanism for coacting with the sewing needle to stitch the materials.In the embodiment of this invention described below, the looper motionis synchronized to the sewing needle motion through cams connected tothe same shaft which provides motion to the sewing needle.

Also provided are two pairs of rollers for providing continuous motionto the materials to be sewn. The rollers are mounted on either side ofthe sewing needle to advance the materials across the ledger plate inthe sewing machine. In the embodiment described below, the lower of eachpair of vertically disposed rollers is driven by a rotating mechansimmounted on the sewing machine frame. The upper roller of each pair isspring biased against the lower roller for grasping the materialsbetween them, the spring tension being adjustable to accommodate variousthicknesses of materials.

Another feature of this invention is a cutting knife for cutting thefree running thread chain between a series of articles being sewn. Theledger plate is provided with an upwardly extending flange at the pointwhere the sewn materials leave the sewing machine. A cutting bar ismounted adjacent to the flange and is oscillated along the outer edge ofthe flange. As the moving materials collide with the flange, they areforced upward and over the cutting knife to prevent cutting of thethread chain in the sewn materials. A notch in the fla-n'ge is providedin line with the thread chain. When there is no material present, andthe thread chain is therefore free running, it will be passed throughthe notch rather than being forcednpward by the flange and will be cutby the oscillating cutting bar.

To assure that the free running thread chain passes through the notch tobe cut, the second or last pair of rollers are mounted such that thevertical axis of the upper roller is closer to the notch than thevertical axis of the lower roller, to throw the thread chain downward.

This brief explanation of the aparatus of this invention will be morefully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings,specification and claims. It should be noted here that though the use ofthe apparatus of this invention has been described in relation to anassembly line technique, its use is not limited to such techniques, andthe apparatus is highly adaptable to many uses.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the sewing machine of thisinvention, with the needle bar shown in the raised position;

FIG. 1A is a detailed sectional view taken along the line IA1A of FIG.'1;

FIG. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus ofthis invention taken along the line 22 of FIG. 4, in which the needlebar is shown in the lowered position, with the looper fully retracted;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 2, but showing the component parts of this sewing machine in theposition of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2, withthe component parts of the sewing machine in the position of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation with components broken away anddepicting the control apparatus for a thread cutting bar;

FIG. 5A is a schematic view illustrating how the free running threadchain automatically positions itself to be cut by the cutting bar; and

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are schematic views illustrating the rectilinearmovement of the sewing needle with respect to the continuously movingmaterials.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is disclosed a sewing machineindicated generally at 10'. Rigidly mounted in a forward portion offrame 10 are a pair of guide rods 14 and 25. A plate 80 is slidablymounted on guide rods 14 and 25. Within an aperture in plate 80 arerigidly mounted a vertical, parallel pair of guide rods 49 and 50. Aplate 81 is slidably mounted on guide rods 49 and '50. A pair ofparallel arms 82 and 83 extend forwardly from plate 80. A journal orslide bearing 15 is vertically disposed in arm 83, and a journal orslide bearing 16 is vertically disposed in arm 82. A needle bar 11 ispositioned within slide bearings 15 and 16 for up and down journalingthereby. A threadable needle [12 is connected to the lower end of needlebar 11.

A rotatable shaft 51 is rotatably mounted between frame 10 and a member54. Shaft 51 extends through frame 10 for connection to suitablerotational drive means (not shown). Mounted on shaft 51 for rotationthereby are a pulley 52 and a gear 53. A horizontally disposed shaft 70is rotatably mounted in frame 10. A

pulley 68 is mounted on shaft 70 in line with pulley 52. A pulley 67 ismounted on frame 10 in line with pulleys 52 and 68. A belt 66 is mountedon pulleys 52, 67 and 68, for providing rotation of shaft 70 due torotation of shaft 51. An eccentric or cam 75 is connected to the end ofshaft 70 for rotation the'reby. Eccentric 75 is engaged by plate 81 formotion of plates 81 and 80 imparted by eccentric 75. A connecting pin 76is shown connected to eccentric 75. An arm 77 is rigidly connected topin 76 at one end. Arm 77 is pivotally connected at another end to oneend of another arm 79 by a pin 78. The other end of arm 79 is rigidlyconnected to needle bar 11 by a clamp 17. Thus motion of eccentric 75 istranslated through the linking arms 77 and 78 to provide motion toneedle bar 11. i

There is also shown a looper shaft 98 slidably and rotatably mountedbetween a pair of members 62 and 99. Attached to looper shaft 98 is athreadable looper 47 which coacts with needle 12 to sew materials. A cam73 mounted on shaft 70 for rotation thereby, is engaged by a camfollower 101. Cam follower 101 is connected by a rod 102 to a bearing104 connected by a clamp 1105 to looper shaft 98. When shaft 70 isrotated the subsequent movement of cam 73 is translated through camfollower 101, rod 102, bearing 104 and clamp 105 to arcuately oscillatelooper shaft 98. Also connected to shaft 70 is another cam 71 engaged bya cam follower 91. Cam follower 91 is connected by a rod 92 to a pivotbolt 93. Pivot bolt 93 is also connected to a leg of a teeter member 94which is rigidly connected to a shaft 95. Shaft is rotatably mounted inframe 10. Another leg of member 94 is connected to a ball 96 within aball and socket bearing of which a socket 97 is connected to shaft 98.Thus rotation of shaft 70 and the subsequent rotation of cam 71 istranslated by cam follower 91, rod 92, member 94, ball 96 and socket 97,to provide forward and back sliding of looper shaft 98.

To provide continuous motion of materials to be sewn, indicatedgenerally at :13, there is shown a first pair of roller Wheels 21 and 22for driving materials 13 into proximity with sewing needle 12, and asecond pair of roller wheels 23 and 24 to move materials away fromproximity with needle 12. A ledger plate '89 is provided across whichmaterials 13 are driven for sewing. In addition to an aperture in ledgerplate 89 through which needle 12 can pass to coact with looper 47 tostitch materials 13, there are apertures provided in ledged plate 89 toallow lower wheels 22 and 24 to meet, respectively, with upper wheels 21and 23. Wheel 21 is spring biased against wheel 22 by spring means hereshown as leaf spring 28. Spring 28 is suported by a bolt 86 connected bya bearing 74 to shaft 70, and by a bolt 87 connected by a bearing 72 toshaft 70. Spring 28 is biased against a vertically held rod 26 connectedat one end to the axle of wheel 21. Rod 26 is journaled for verticalsliding by a pair of slide bearings 31 and 33 connected to frame 10. Thespring bias of wheel 21 against wheel 22 is adjustable by adjustment ofbolts 86 and 87. The vertical movement of rod 26 is restricted by amember 32 having one end clamped to rod 26, and having an arm extendinginto a slot 37 in a member 38. Member 38 is connected to frame 10 bybolts 41, as shown in FIG. 1A. Member 32 is connected to rod 26 by ascrew 40, also shown in FIG. 1A.

Wheel 23 is spring biased against wheel 24 in a manner similar to thatof wheel 21 against wheel 22. A spring 29, here shown as a leaf spring,is carried by shaft 70 in the same manner as described above for spring28. Spring 29 bears down on a vertically held rod 27 which is connectedat its lower end to the axle of Wheel 23. Rod 27 is journaled in a pairof slide bearings 34 and 36 conconnected to frame 10. A member 35 isclamped at one end to rod 27, and has an arm extending through a slot ina member 39 which is similar to slot 37 in member 38. Member 39 isconnected to frame 10 by means of a pair of bolts 42. Also cooperatingwith the two pair of wheels to hold the material 13 for sewing, are apair of arms 44 and 44'. Arms 44 and 44' are connected at one end to theaxle of wheel 21, and have another end spring biased by springs 45 and45', respectively, toward ledger plate 89.

Gear 53 on shaft 51 is engaged with a gear 55, which is in turn mountedon a shaft 56 rotatably connected between frame 10 and member 54. Shaft56 is extended through a member 57 and terminates in a gear 58 mountedthereon. Gear 58 is engaged by a gear 59 mounted on a shaft 61. Shaft 61is rotatably mounted in member 57, a member 62 and a frame 10. A shaft106 is mounted parallel to shaft 61 in member 62 and frame 10. Wheel 22is mounted on shaft 61, while wheel 24 is mounted on shaft 106. A pulleyor gear 107 is mounted on shaft 61, while a pulley or gear 108 ismounted on shaft 106 in line with pulley or gear 107. A chain or belt109 is connected around pulleys or gears 107 and 108. Thus rotation ofshaft 51 by the external drive means is translated by gears 53, 55, 58and 59 to shaft 61. Rotation of shaft 61 will cause rotation of wheel22, and also will cause rotation of shaft 106 to rotate wheel 24 due tothe action of pulleys or gears 107 and 108 connected by chain or belt109.

In FIG. 1 there is shown attached to frame a thread spool holding means19 on which thread 20 is mounted. Thread 20 is then threaded through athread mount 18, and thence through needle 12. Thread is also carried toand threaded through looper 47 in the usual manner (not shown).

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 5A, there is shown additionalmechanism of the apparatus of this invention for cutting free runningthread chain between a series of sewn articles. ledger plate 89 is shownas having an upwardly extending or beveled flange 90 at the end thereofwhere sewn materials come off. Flange 90 is provided with a notch 115 inline with a thread chain 100 created by the stitching coaction of needle12 and looper 47. A cutting arm 113 is provided with a cutting edge 114.Cutting bar 113 is pivotally mounted to frame 10' by an adjustmentspring means 103, such that arcuate oscillation of cutting bar 113causes cutting edge 114 to pass back and forth adjacent to notch 115.

A member 110 has one end rigidly connected to rotatable shaft 95, andanother end pivotally connected to one end of a rod 111. Rod 111 hasanother end pivotallly connected to cutting bar 113 by a pivot bolt 112.Thus as shaft 95 is rotated by the action of the cam 71, cam follower91, rod 92 and teeter arm 94, the motion of shaft 95 will be translatedby member 110 and rod 111, to oscillate cutting bar 113 as best shown inFIG. 5.

In FIGS. 1 and 5A it is apparent that wheel 23 has its vertical axismounted closer to flange 90 than is the vertical axis of wheel 24. Thusmaterials 13 and thread chain 100 passing between wheels 23 and 24 willbe cast downwardly upon leaving the grasp of wheels 23 and 24. Materialscontaining thread chain 100- will be deflected over cutting bar 113 byflange 90, while free running thread chain 100 will continue downwardlythrough notch 115 to be cut by bar 113.

In operation, materials to be sewn 13 are fed onto ledger plate 89 wherethey are grasped between roller wheels 21 and 22. Materials 13 arefirmly grasped between Wheels 21 and 22 due to spring 28 applying adownward pressure on rod 26 to force wheel 21 toward wheel 22. Therotation of shaft 51 is translated through gears 53 and 55 to shaft 56,thence to gear 58 and through gear 59 to rotate shaft 61. The continuousrotation of shaft 61 causes continuous rotation of roller wheel 22, therotation being counterclockwise with respect to the front view of thesewing machine of this invention. Thus materials 13 are continually fedby roller wheels 21 and 22 into proximity with needle 12 and looper 47.

As materials 13 are forced across ledger plate 89 they are stitched bythe coaction of needle 12 and looper 47 in a manner to be describedbelow. The continuously moving materials 13 are then grasped betweenroller wheels 23 and 24, wheel 23 being yieldingly biased against wheel24 by means of spring 29 forcing downward on rod 27. The continuousrotation of shaft 61 is felt by shaft 106 due to the translation effectof gears or pulleys 107 and 108, connected by belt or chain 109. Thusshaft 106 is continuously rotated to rotate Wheel 24. Materials 13 aretherefore continuously moved out of proximity With needle 12 by theaction of wheels 23 and 24.

To avoid damage to materials 13 during stitching or sewing, arectilinear motion is imparted to needle bar 11 and thus needle 12. Ahorizontal movement of needle bar 11 is accomplished through plates 80and 81, while a vertical movement of needle bar 11 is accomplishedthrough the linked arms 77 and 79. The continuous rota- 6 tion of shaft51 is translated to shaft 70 by belt 66 which is connected aroundpulleys 52, 67 and 68, pulley 68 being connected to shaft 70.

As shaft 70 rotates it will rotate eccentric 75. Plate 81 is engagedwith eccentric 75 and may be described as acting as an eccentricfollower. However, plate 81 essentially has only one degree of freedom.That is, plate 81 may only slide up and down vertically on guide rods 49and 50. Therefore, only the vertical component of force exerted 'byeccentric 75 on plate 81 is accounted for in motion by plate 81. Thehorizontal component of force exerted by cam 75 on plate 81 is thereforefelt by plate 80. Plate has only a horizontal degree of freedom and willslide back on forth horizontally on guide rods 25 and 14 as force isexerted by eccentric 75 on plate 81. As arms 82 and 83 are rigidlyconnected to plate 80, needle bar 11, which is mounted in slide bearings15 and 16 in arms 83 and 82, respectively, will be carried horizontallyback and forth with the motion of plate 80.

At the same time the above described actions are taking place tohorizontally translate needle bar 11 back and forth, needle bar 11 isalso being translated vertically up and down, and journaled by slidebearings 15 and 16. This latter motion is also directly related to therotation of eccentric 75. Arm 77 is rigidly connected to pin 76 oneccentric 75. As eccentric 75 rotates, arm 77 will also 'be caused torotate. This will cause motion of arm 79 which is pivotally linked toarm 77 through pin 78. As arm 79 moves it will impart motion to needlebar 11 through the pivotal clamp 17. This motion of needle bar 11 isjournaled through slide bearings 15 and 16 to be a vertical up and downmotion.

The above description of the motion of needle bar 11 may be more fullyunderstood by reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C. The three figures areschematic views illustrating how needle 12 follows the direction oftravel of materials 13 as it moves leftwardly in the direction shown bythe horizontal arrow. In FIG. 6A needle bar 11 and needle 12 are shownin a downward stroke as shown by the vertical arrow. As eccentric 75rotates counterclockwise, arm 77 will also be carried in acounterclockwise motion. Here arm 77 is shown in a substantiallyhorizontal position extending leftwardly. As arm 77 is continued in itscounterclockwise path its motion will be translated through arm 79 toneedle bar 11, and needle bar 11 will be forced downwardly due to thepivotal connection of arm 79 to clamp 17. Slide bearings 15 and 16 willjournal the motion of needle bar 11 vertically.

Simultaneously, eccentric 75 is exerting a force on plate 81 engagetherewith, the horizontal component of the force causing a motion ofplate 80 on horizontal guide rods 14 and 25. As shown in FIG. 6A, cam 75is at a position where essentially all of the force exerted on plate 81is vertical, causing an upward sliding of plate 81. Before needle 12enters materials 13, eccentric 75 will have rotated sufficiently tocommence a leftward horizontal slide of plate 80, to thus translateneedle bar 11 and needle 12 in a leftward direction parallel to thecontinuous motion of materials 13.

In FIG. 6B, eccentric 75 has rotated sufficiently to cause needle 12 topierce materials 13 and be at its lowest most position. At this pointarms 77 and 78 are in a substantially vertical line. In FIG. 6Beccentric 75 is shown in a position such that essentially all of theforce exerted on plate 81 is a horizontal force, and plate 81 willessentially translate all of this force to continue the horizontalleftward slide of plate 80, needle bar 11, and needle 12, to avoiddamage of the pierced materials 13.

In FIG. 6C needle bar 11 and needle 12 are shown in an upward motion asdepicted by the vertical arrow. Needle 12 has been removed fromcontinuously moving materials 13, and it is no longer necessary tocontinue the leftward horizontal motion of needle bar 11.

Therefore, eccentric 75 is shown in a position where essentially allforce on plate 81 is vertical and plate 81 is commencing a downwardslide on guide rods 49 and 50. As eccentric 75 continues to rotate fromthis point it will exert a horizontal component of force which will befelt on plate 80, to cause plate 80 to horizontally slide back on guiderods 14 and to its original position, in preparation for the nextstitching cycle.

Arm 77 is shown extending substantially horizontally to the right as itcontinues in its counterclockwise rotation. As the rotation of arm 77continues, it will be followed by arm 78 to pull needle bar 11 andneedle 12 upwardly.

Thus the stitching cycle of needle 12 is accomplished with a rectilinearmotion. The vertical up and down portion of the rectilinear motion issubstantially perpendicular to the continuously moving materials 13which it is desired to sew. At the same time, the horizontal portions ofthe rectilinear motion are substantially parallel to the direction ofcontinuous motion of materials 13, with the parallel motion being in thedirection of travel of materials 13 during the time that needle 12 isentering and leaving materials 13, to avoid damage.

To accomplish stitching, it is necessary that looper 47 coact withneedle 12 as it pierces materials 13. This is done with a simultaneousarcuate oscillation and forward and back oscillation of looper 47. Thenecessary coaction is well known to those skilled in the art. To providethe proper coaction in view of the rectilinear motion of needle 12, itis only necessary to broaden the arcuate oscillation of looper 47.

It is desirable to synchronize the motion of looper 47 with that ofneedle 12. In the preferred embodiment described herein, synchronizationis accomplished by driving looper 47 from the same shaft 70 which driveseccentric 75 to provide motion to needle 12. Cam 73 is driven by shaft70 and imparts motion to cam follower 10-1. The motion of cam follower101 is translated by rod 102 to wobble bearing 104 connected to loopershaft 98. This may best be seen by reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shaft70 continuously rotates, it will cause continuous rotation of cam 73,which will in turn drive cam follower 101 in an up and down motion whichwill be felt through rod 102 at bearing 104. As bearing 104 istranslated up and down, because it is connected at the side of shaft 98it will cause an arcuate oscillation or back and forth rotation of shaft98, which will in turn be felt by looper 47.

At the same time, cam 71 will be continuously rotated by shaft 70 toimpart an up and down motion to cam follower 91 which will be translatedthrough rod 92 to one leg of teeter member 94. Thus teeter member 94will cause rotation of shaft 95 and at the same time cause a teetermotion of the other arm of teeter member 94, to cause forward and backmotion of ball 96. As ball 96 is translated forward and back in socket97, it will cause a forward and back motion of looper shaft 98 whichwill in turn be felt by looper 47. Thus the arcuate and forward and backoscillations of looper 47 are both originated by shaft 70, to thussynchronize the motion of looper 47 with needle 12.

The drawings illustrate the linkage and movement of the looper 47. Itwill be seen that in the coordinated movement of the needle 12 andlooper 47, the needle moves downwardly toward and into the fabric duringthe initial part of the operating cycle, and as the needle initiallypierces the material 13, the looper 47 is disposed at one side of theneedle and has been moved axially in the direction of shaft 98 so as tolie closely adjacent the needle and extending therebeyoud. As the needlecontinues to move downwardly, the looper progressively returns in theaxial direction of shaft 98. As the needle is moving downwardly throughthe fabric 13, the cam 75 is operating to move the needle in thedirection of material travel. Review of the mechanism illustrated willthen be seen to cause the looper 47, after it has retracted beyond theneedle as illustrated in FIG. 2, to rock over, along the direction ofmaterial travel from the position illustrated in FIG. 6A to the positionshown first in FIG. 6B and then in FIG. 60 so that while the needleremains in the fabric and extended downwardly along the looper, thelooper may be moved axially of shaft 98 to extend along the oppositeside of the needle 12 again while the needle still remains in thefabric. Of course, at this instant the needle is actually moving up andpreparing to withdraw from the material 13. The needle and looper movesufliciently close to each other as is illustrated in order to produce acoaction of the threads carried by the looper and the needle inproducing a chain stitch, which is oftentimes refered to as a doublelock chain stitch. The stitch is completed and preparation is made forthe next stitch being formed after the needle 12 has been withdrawn fromthe material at which time the mechanism will be seen to produce arocking of the looper back to its original position, opposite to thedirection of material travel and from the position illustrated in FIG.6C to that shown in FIG. 6A. In this last mentioned rocking movement, itwill be obvious that the looper 47 rocks across the path of needlereciprocation without interfering with the needle as the needle is atthat instant in its upwardly retracted position. The looper is requiredto momentarily and alternately slide along opposite sides of the needleduring each stitching operation, and this mechanism accommodates thismotion and also accommodates the transverse movement of the needle 12 asthe needle moves with the material 13 while projected into the material,and returns in the opposite transverse direction opposite to thedirection of the material travel when the needle has been withdrawn.

An additional feature of the embodiment of the invention describedherein is an automatic thread cutting knife for cutting free runningthread between a series of sewn articles. To accomplish this cutting,the beveled edge of flange on ledger plate 89 is provided, along withnotch 115, and cutting bar 113. Arm 110 is rigidly connected at one endto shaft so that it will be oscillated as shaft 95 is oscillated in themanner described above for forward and back oscillation of looper shaft98. The motion of arm is translated to cutting bar 113 to cause cuttingedge 114 to pass back and forth across notch 115, and below the top offlange 90.

As may best be seen by FIG. 5A, materials 13 which have been sewn andcontain thread chain 100, are directed upwardly by flange 90 to passover the oscillating cutting edge 114. However, when thread chain 100 isfree running, it will be passed through notch to be cut by cutting edge114.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, to assure cutting of freerunning thread chain 100, it is cast downwardly by wheels 23 and 24 dueto the vertical axis of wheel 23 being closer to flange 90 than is thevertical axis of wheel 24. This causes thread chain 100 to come out ofthe grasp of wheels 23 and 24 with a downwardly directed force, causingit to fall into notch 115 and be positioned for easy cutting. The offsetof wheels 23 and 24 does not appreciably effect the trajectory ofmaterials 13 as they will still be cast upwardly when striking bevelededge 90.

Spring loaded adjusting means 103 is provided to adjust the position ofcutting bar 113 adjacent notch 115. Adjustment of the length of rod 111,for example, can be used to change the time during each period ofoscillation at which cutting edge 114 crosses notch 115, to thus varythe point between a series of materials 13 at which thread chain 100 iscut.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the apparatus of thisinvention provides a novel means for sewing continuously movingmaterials. Though specific structure has been described in connectionwith this preferred embodiment to provide a rectilinear motion to thesewing needle to prevent damage to the continuously moving materials, itshould be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of thisinvention to the specific structure claimed. Rather the structure of thepreferred embodiment is merely exemplary of many mechanical means whichcould be used to impart the proper rectilinear motion to the sewingneedle, that proper motion being simultaneously perpendicular andparallel to the direction of continuous movement of materials to besewn.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Sewing machine apparatus for sewing continuously moving materialscomprising:

a frame;

rotation imparting drive means mounted on said frame;

a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame and connected to said drivemeans for rotation thereby;

an eccentric connected to said shaft and adapted to be rotated thereby;

a first pair of guide rods connected to said frame and extendingsubstantially horizontally within said frame;

a first plate slidably mounted on said first pair of guide rods;

said first plate defining an aperture therein;

a substantially vertically extending second pair of guide rods connectedwithin said aperture;

a second plate slidably mounted on said second pair of guide rods;

said second plate engaging said eccentric, so that as said shaftrotates, said eccentric drives said second plate up and down on saidsecond pair of guide rods and drives said first plate back and forth onsaid first pair of guide rods;

a first arm having one end rigidly connected to said eccentric;

a second arm having one end pivotally connected to the other end of saidfirst arm;

a needle bar including means for connecting a sewing needle thereto;

means pivotally connecting the other end of said second arm to saidneedle bar;

journaling means rigidly connected to said first plate;

said needle bar being vertically and slidably mounted in said journalingmeans, so that as said eccentric rotates the motion of said first andsecond arms drives said needle bar up and down within said journalingmeans, said needle bar simultaneously being driven back and forth withthe motion of said first plate on said first pair of guide rods;

a sewing needle connected to said needle bar and extending downwardlytherefrom;

means mounted on said frame for continuously moving material to be sewnbeneath said sewing needle; and

looper means mounted on said frame for coacting with said sewing needleto sew said materials.

2. The sewing machine apparatus of claim 1 in which said means forcontinuously moving materials to be sewn comprises:

first and second pairs of rollers;

each of said pairs of rollers comprising an upper and lower roller,means resiliently biasing said upper roller against said lower roller;

drive means connected to each of said lower rollers for rotating saidlower rollers;

said first pair of rollers being adapted to receive materials to be sewnbetween said upper and lower rollers and continuously drive thematerials into proximity with said sewing needle; and

said second pair of rollers being adapted to receive the sewn materialsbetween said upper and lower rollers and continuously drive thematerials out of proximity with said sewing needle.

3. The sewing machine apparatus of claim 2 including means for adjustingthe resilient bias on each of said upper rollers to adapt said first andsecond pair of rollers to receive various thicknesses of materials to besewn.

4. The sewing machine apparatus of claim 1 in which said looper meansincludes means for synchronizing the coaction of said sewing needle andsaid looper means comprising:

first and second cams mounted on said shaft and adapted to be rotatedthereby;

first and second cam followers engaging, respectively, said first andsecond cams;

a looper shaft including said looper connected to one end thereof;

means slidably and rotatably mounting said looper shaft on said frame;

a first rod having one end connected to said first cam follower andanother end connected to said looper shaft; and

a second rod having one end connected to said second cam follower andanother end connected to said looper shaft, so that rotation of saidshaft drives said first rod to arcuately oscillate said looper shaft anddrives said second rod to slide said looper shaft back and forth.

5. Sewing apparatus for sewing continuously moving materials comprising:

a frame;

drive means mounted on said frame;

a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame and connected to said drivemeans for rotation thereby;

an eccentric means connected with said shaft for rotation thereby;

needle bar mounting means engaging said eccentric for movement thereby;

a needle bar vertically and slidably mounted to said needle bar mountingmeans, and including a sewing needle mounted at a lower end thereof;

linkage means connected between said eccentric and said needle bar, sothat rotation of said eccentric causes back and forth horizontalmovement of said needle bar carried by said needle bar mounting means,and simultaneous up and down sliding of said needle bar driven by saidlinkage means;

looper means mounted on said frame and connected to said drive means forcoaction with said horizontal and up and down movement of the sewingneedle to sew materials;

said drive means synchronizing the motion of said looper means with themotion of said sewing needle on said needle bar, said looper drive meanscomprismg:

a looper bar including a looper connected to one end thereof, saidlooper bar being movably mounted on said frame in a horizontaldisposition transversely of the direction of material travel;

first and second cams connected to said shaft for rotation thereby;

a first cam follower engaging said first cam;

means connecting said first cam follower to said looper bar foroscillating arcuate movement of said looper connected to said looper barand in directions along and opposite to the direction of materialtravel;

a second cam follower engaging said second cam;

and

means connecting said second cam follower to said looper bar for slidingmovement of said looper connected to said looper bar and in a horizontaldirection transversely of the direction of material travel, themovements of said looper and said sewing needle thus being synchronizedby their actuation from the same shaft, and

1 l 1 2 means for continuously moving materials to be sewn 1,162,69611/1915 Jerram 112-213 horizontally beneath said needle bar along theline 1,450,456 4/1923 Seymour 112213 of the back and forth horizontalmovement of said 1,715,119 5/1929 Clarkson 112-221 XR needle bar.2,207,141 7/1940 Zonis 112-159 References Cited 5 H HAMPTON HUNTER P E M-m r xa UNITED STATES PATENTS a y r 397,579 2/1889 Bartlett et al 112213 US. C

925,320 6/1909 Fales ..112159 112-214, 252

